Epilogue
Colton
One Year Later
I hammer Nora’s little pink sign into the yard and stand back to check that it’s even.
We’ve been working for the better part of the year to get her massage therapy business off the ground.
At first, we thought it made sense to open a spa in town.
Then, we thought of working with the inn on Main Street but ultimately decided that a little parlor right here at home was the way to go.
“What do you think?”
I ask as she snuggles into my side, rubbing her hand over her expanded stomach. “Straight enough?”
“I love it! Thank you for building all this for me.”
She’s thanked me half a million times over the last few months, but it’s me who should be thanking her.
“You’re carrying our baby, you adopted Ellie as your own, and you cook and clean for us. You do everything, honey. I don’t deserve you.”
She turns her body toward me and stares up into my eyes. “You do physical labor all day to keep us fed and warm, and you still found time to build the shop for me. So, I’m gonna be thankful.”
Her voice turns playful as she says, “Probably forever, really.”
“I’m just glad you found a niche that didn’t mean you’d be touching other men. A women’s massage center was a good idea.”
“Thanks!”
Her tone is perky and sweet. “I’ve already sold out of monthly memberships, so I think once I get the ball rolling, I’ll do pretty well.”
A loud pickup truck climbs up the stone driveway, and we both turn to see Nora’s dad bumping up the way with Ellie giggling in the passenger seat. She hops out and runs toward us the second the engine turns off.
“Mom, Grandpa took me to the playground, and they’re almost done, finally! Mrs. Robinson said they only have two slides left to put in, and… oh! There’s gonna be a fishing tournament there this weekend. Grandpa signed me up! Can I go?”
“Of course you can go!”
Nora squeezes Ellie against her stomach and kisses her head gently. I love seeing the two of them together. They’ve gotten so close over the past year. It’s almost like Nora was always Ellie’s mother.
“Why don’t you get cleaned up and we’ll make dinner together. I got the stuff to make Dad’s favorite.”
“Lasagna!”
Ellie grins. “You make it so much better than Becca’s mom.” We haven’t seen much of her lately, which is a good thing if you ask me. “You found the secret ingredient that makes it like Dad’s grandma.”
“Thank you, baby. Go get cleaned up and we’ll get started!”
Ellie nods toward Nora and runs into the house with a bounce of excitement. She’s really come out of her shell since Nora got here.
“The massage parlor looks great,”
my buddy says as he lands a kiss on top of Nora’s head and hands her a pie box from the shop downtown. She’s been addicted to the butterbeer pie since the night we made things official on the dining room table. “Must have taken you months.”
“It’s nothing. I worked here and there as I could. Thanks for taking Ellie out today. She loves spending time with you.”
“It’s good havin’ her around.”
My buddy kicks the dirt with his boot, and glances toward his daughter as though our interactions are still shaky.
I can’t blame him.
I’d feel weird, too.
There’s no doubt about it.
That said, he’s handled the whole thing much better than he could’ve.
He supported the wedding we shared here on the farm a few months back, he spends time with Ellie, and he’s gone out of his way to bring gifts for baby Jack who’s due in the next couple of months.
I’m impressed with how well he’s accepted everything.
“Well,”
he clears his throat and stands straighter, “I better head home. You two call if you need anything.”
“Love you, Dad.”
Nora holds her father close. “Thank you for everything.”
“Love you more, kiddo. You call me if you need me to kick this guy’s ass, okay?”
She smiles wide and glances toward me. “You got it, Dad.”
As he pulls away, I’m left standing with the girl of my dreams.
A woman I thought about in ways I shouldn’t have been, though I’m glad I did.
It’s moments like these, when the gravel crunches beneath my boots and the sun catches the curve of her smile, that I’m reminded how lucky I am.
Sure, I have a gorgeous little farmhouse, fields that stretch out for miles, and a big red pickup truck I’m pretty proud of, but none of that would mean anything without Nora.
I rub my hand over her stomach and lean into her lips, kissing them gently as Ellie comes running back out of the house with her pigtails flying back in the breeze.
Loving my life is an understatement.
I love Nora’s lasagna.
I love the way the horses trust me after a long training session.
I love the way the sky turns red before a storm.
My family, though, there’s a bigger word for what I feel about them.
A word I’m not sure has been spoken yet. An emotion that might be too big for words all together. Whatever it is, it’s everything, and I’ll protect it with everything I have… forever.
THANK YOU FOR READING.